Espreso Recipe

Preheat and flush group/portafilter

Turn on your espresso machine and allow it to fully heat (typically 15–30 minutes for a home machine). Run a short shot of water through the group head into the drip tray, then insert the empty portafilter and flush 30 ml of water through to warm the portafilter and stabilize temperature.

Dose and grind

Weigh 18 g of freshly roasted espresso beans. Grind them to a fine, consistent espresso grind—similar to table salt but slightly finer—adjusting grind if extraction will be too fast (>28 seconds) or too slow (<18 seconds).

Distribute and tamp

Place the ground coffee into the portafilter basket. Use a distribution technique (tap, finger spin, or tool) to level the puck, then tamp evenly with 30–40 lbs (13–18 kg) of pressure until the surface is smooth and level. Wipe the portafilter rim to remove grounds.

Brew

Lock the portafilter into the group head and start extraction immediately. Aim for an extraction yield of about 36 ml of espresso in 25–30 seconds (start of timer on pump activation). Stop the shot when you reach ~36 ml. The result should be a syrupy, concentrated espresso with crema on top.

Taste and adjust

Taste the espresso. If it is sour/under-extracted, make the grind finer, increase dose slightly, or raise water temperature. If it is bitter/over-extracted, make the grind coarser, reduce dose slightly, or shorten extraction time. Make small adjustments and repeat.

Straight espresso

Serve the 36 ml espresso in a pre-warmed demitasse cup. Optionally stir in 1 tsp sugar to taste.

Espresso with steamed milk (short macchiato / cortado-style)

If you prefer a milk addition, steam 50 ml milk to 55–60°C (130–140°F) with small, velvety microfoam. Pour or spoon the milk onto the espresso—just a dash creates a macchiato; a 1:1 ratio (50 ml milk to 36 ml espresso) is a cortado-style. Dust with a pinch of cocoa powder if desired.